


Reading The Future

by ThisIsNoFairyTale



Category: Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-09 02:10:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3232376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsNoFairyTale/pseuds/ThisIsNoFairyTale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The typical characters read the Vampire Academy books. Set in Frostbite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Matter of Life and Death

**Author's Note:**

> All writing in bold does not belong to me.

**“Hit those moguls there, then jump over that ridge, swing back with a hairpin turn, dodge those trees, and land there."**

I was considering Mason’s dare, it really was dangerous, and I was about to tell him that when an alarm went ringing through my ears. Shocked, I turned to look at the lodge and found, to my astonishment, Kirova holding a megaphone to her mouth.

“MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES AND STUDENTS OF ST. VLADIMIRS PLEASE RETURN TO THE LODGE IMMEDIATELY”

I stared at Mason with my mouth open, this must be important, or Kirova would definitely not have talked to the Royals like that. That’s when I spotted Dimitri, standing behind her with Tasha Ozera, and decided I most definitely did not want to deal with that right now. So, turning to Mase I was about to ask if he was up for skipping the first five minutes, since they were always the most boring when it came to Moroi politics, when Kirova called my name “Rose Hathaway this most certainly means you too”

I sighed. This probably had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the old witch punishing me, yet I shrugged at Mason and we both made our way up.

***

As we got in Mason and I was directed to the ballroom, away from the massive crowd gathering inside the dining area. It seems thhat this wa where all the Royals, Guardians and older hampir studets were being asked to gather. Once in, I immediately found Lissa, with Christian of course, and saw that she was extremely nervous.

“Do you know anything about this?” I asked, guessing that Lissa being a royal meant that she would have been told.

“Nothing, Kirova found me and told me it was imperative to go into the ballroom and wait until everyone had gathered. But Rose it must be serious, the way she commanded some of the Royals, I was so surprised” I nodded along with what Lissa was saying, and was about to give my two scents when Kirova stood in front of us all.

“Everyone, I am so very sorry for interrupting your activities, however we have received a letter of importance that we cannot ignore” I looked at Kirova with confusion, as did a lot of other people, how important could a god damn letter be for her stuff nearly a hundred people into a single room?

 Kirova got out the letter and began reading:

_“Families, Guardians and Students of St. Vladimirs Academy I am writing to inform you of an urgent matter. I have recently discovered a book, memoir if you will, that holds vital information about the future. Your future. I know you would find it hard to believe me, however I have also sent a...relic from the future to confirm this story is true.” At that, a guardian walked forward presenting a blunt sword. “Plus, you will be able to research this information as the story goes on, and find that it does not lie. This is a matter of life and death. And to Rose Hathaway, I do apologise.”_

My head shot up and I found all eyes trained on me “w-why would they say that” I asked, dreading the answer.

Kirova looked at me in what could only be described as pity “They are from your point of view” she staed.

The room was silent before may of the Royals began talking over each other rapidly and as Kirova began to silence them, I turned to Lissa.

“If it’s from my point of view, a it’s a ‘matter of life and death’, does that mean I’m going to die?” The people around me began to silence and I was immediately aware of the intake of breath Dimitri had clearly unconsciously taken. Not many people could look me in the eye, and Lissa looked like she wanted to throw up. I turned to my mum, for the first time in my life, truly afraid when a voice rose from behind me.

“Ah little Dhampir, if that is the truth then don’t look at it like that. See it as us saving you, by reading this book.”

I looked at the man, he had a drink in one hand and a cigarette in another.

“It’s rude to smoke indoors” I told him, much to the dismay of the people around me. In fact I think I heard my mother shocked exclaim “Rose Hathaway”, she said it in such disapproval that I almost turned to flip her off. But instead I ignored her and kept my attentions on the man in front of me, who was laughing. He dumped his cigarette in his drink and walked towards me.

“Adrian Ivashkov, at your service” he said, whilst taking my hand and kissing it.

“Im seventeen” I stated, as Mason and Eddie started to have been choking on laughter behind me “and so not into older guys”

“Lie” he told me, smirking. I glanced up at Dimitri and back to Adrian, my heart thudding. I gave him my best ‘I have no idea what you are talking about look’ and turned to Kirova, who seemed to have been talking for the past five minutes.

“..it is not required that you all stay, the reading will be recorded and shown around the lodge, so if many of you would like to leave and deal with affairs outside of this room that will be okay. Along with this, many of our guardians will be making sure the information given is true” There was a murmur of agreement then, and many families discussing who would stay and who wouldn’t. “We will be reading in the home room, so anyone wanting to read, if you could please make your way to the room it would be much appreciated.”

***

Around 30 people ended up in the reading room, 40 if you counted the Guardians there for extra security. I sat on the sofa with Lissa and Christian, Mason and Eddie o chairs next to her, and surprisingly Mia next to them. Apparently the note said she needed to be there, for whatever reason. I was surprised to find that only few royals actually turned up, a representative for each family, Adrian being that for the Ivashkovs. The Dhampirs i my year had all stayed, and the only two guardians there not on duty were my mother and Dimitri. Looking at him, sitting next to Tasha, I was suddenly scared about what the book would reveal. Would my feelings be mentioned? As we made eye contact, the worried look on his face told me he was thinking the same thing.

I felt Lissa’s nervousness through the bond, and tried to sooth her by holding her hand. I felt the darkness well up inside her, angry that my thoughts would be read out to the entire world. However, as soon as I felt it, it was gone and she relaxed next to me.

“Shall we get started” Kirova interrupted my thoughts and I felt the entire room tense. No one wanted to be the one to read me dying.

“Headmistress” I put on the sweetest voice possible “can i possibly read the first chapter?” I asked, ignoring all the shocked looks of my peers (and my mother) over my politeness. The only one who didn’t look taken aback was Dimitri, who had clearly guessed my intentions and nodded slightly.

“Well yes, of course Miss Hathaway” Kirova handed me the book, shocked as well.

As I began to open it, I felt  a sense of foreboding that I just couldn’t shake.


	2. Mad Skills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All writing in bold does not belong to me.

**We took a lift back up to the top of the hill. When we were just about to head down, Mason pointed.**

**"Okay, how about this? Hit those moguls there, then jump over that ridge, swing back with a hairpin turn, dodge those trees, and land there.**

“Oh my god. This is exactly what Mason said to me right before we got called in” Shocked I looked at the room.

“So this must mean these events are what would have happened had these books not arrived?” Lissa questioned, the Royals that had turned up murmured to each other and I saw Kirova make a mark on a piece of paper. One single proof that these books were true, I hoped there wasn’t more to prove this.

I followed his finger as he pointed out a jagged path down one of the biggest slopes. I frowned.

**"That one really is insane, Mase."**

**"Ah," he said triumphantly. "She finally cracks."**

**I glowered. "She does not." After another survey of his crazy route, I conceded. "Okay. Let's do it."**

My Mother sighed “Rose” was all she said, along with a very disapproving voice. I was suddenly reminded of the fact that this reading was being recorded live, and felt a little bit of embarrassment.

“Told you you were going to die” Christian piped up. So not helping.

**He gestured. "You first."**

**I took a deep breath and leapt off. My skis slid smoothly over the snow, and piercing wind blasted into my face. I made the first jump neatly and precisely, but as the next part of the course sped forward, I realized just how dangerous it really was. In that split second, I had a decision to make. If I didn't do it, I'd never hear the end of it from Mason—and I really wanted to show him up. If I did manage it, I could feel pretty secure about my awesomeness. But if I tried and messed up … I could break my neck.**

**Somewhere in my head, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Dimitri's started talking about wise choices and learning when to show restraint.**

**I decided to ignore that voice and went for it.**

Something that sounded suspiciously like a snort came from Adrian as Dimitri shook his head like he had given up.

“Well at least you know she listens to you, even if she doesn’t follow what you tell her” My mother said to Dimitri.

“I would still rather she act responsibly sometimes” My mother, Kirova and surprisingly Lissa nodded along with what he was saying.

“LISSA!” I was angry now, at least she looked a down guilty for agreeing with my him. “She is in the room by the way, and she is not a child you can control” I told Dimitri and my mother angrily. I saw an expression of remorse on Dimitri’s face before it turned hard again, my mother just looked on passively. I turned to Mason for moral support, only to find he and Eddie laughing at me. Bastards.

**This course was as hard as I'd feared, but I pulled it off flawlessly, one insane move after another. Snow flew up around me as I made each sharp, dangerous turn. When I safely reached bottom, I looked up and saw Mason gesturing wildly. I couldn't make out his expression or words, but I could imagine his cheers.**

**As Mason and Eddie were now. As I finished the paragraph, I felt Lissa relax next to me again, and caught Dimitri’s eye. I was surprised to find a hint of relief in them. Only I couldn’t think about that now, because Mason pulled me to him in a half hug and kissed my cheek. I smiled at Mason, and blushed slightly. I felt guilty, but I looked over to Dimitri hoping to see a reaction. There wasn’t one. I guess he really had moved on.**

**I waved back and waited for him to follow suit.**

**But he didn't. Because when Mason got halfway down, he wasn't able to pull off one of the jumps. His skis caught, and his legs twisted. Down he went.**

“Fuck” I whispered.

“Language” Kirova and my mother shouted at the same time. Lissa’s hand tightened around mine, and Mason took my other.

**I reached him at about the same time some of the resort staff did. To everyone's relief, Mason hadn't broken his neck or anything else.**

Mason and I sighed in relief. I was surprised to see even some of the Royals had reacted to this.

**His ankle did appear to have a nasty sprain, however, which was probably going to limit his skiing for the rest of the trip.**

Now that I knew he was safe I turned to him smirked “That’s what you get for challenging The Rose Hathaway. You owe me like 50 bucks now”

“No way! This so doesn’t count, it hasn’t even happened yet!” Mason tried to act angry, but it just didn’t work as he smiled at me.

“Yeah but it was going to happen, and therefor I was going to beat you. So you owe future me 50 bucks. But if you’re gonna cry about it, we can do a re-match”

Mason was about to argue again when Christian interrupted “Oh my god no one cares can we get back to the book”

“He’s totally jealous he doesn’t have mad skills like us” I winked at Mason, who laughed, along with Tasha Ozera, which dissipated my mood a little bit. Christian huffed.

**One of the instructors monitoring the slopes ran forward, fury all over her face.**

**"What were you kids thinking?" she exclaimed. She turned on me. "I couldn't believe it when you did those stupid stunts!" Her glare fixed on Mason next. "And then you had to go ahead and copy her!"**

“It was his idea” I shouted angrily, only to be met by cold stares from the adults. Why was it me who had to be reprimanded when I was the one that got it right?

**I wanted to argue that it had all been his idea, but blame didn't matter at this point. I was just glad he was all right. But as we all went inside, guilt began to gnaw at me. I had acted irresponsibly. What if he'd been seriously injured? Horrible visions danced through my mind.**

I huffed at future me’s thinking, knowing she was right. I saw a slight smile play on Dimitri’s lips, obviously knowing what I was thinking. It made me only a tiny bit happier.

**Mason with a broken leg … a broken neck…**

Everyone in the room flinched at that, even Jesse Zeklos who didn’t even like Mason. For a second I thought ‘what if’. But quickly wiped that from my mind, there was no ways I was going to let Mason die. Plus it was totally going to be me who died, isn’t that what the note had said.

I was sapped from my thoughts when Mason whispered in ear “good to know you care”, I could feel the shit eating grin he was giving me without even looking at him.

**What had I been thinking? No one had made me do that course. Mason had suggested it… but I hadn't fought back. Goodness knew I probably could have. I might have had to endure some mockery, but Mason was crazy enough about me that feminine wiles probably would have stopped this madness.**

“You use your feminine wiles a lot, Little Dhampir?” Adrian raised his eyebrows at me, and I was caught off guard by how much I wanted to talk to Adrian. Figuring my love life was complicated enough without an Ivashkov involved, I forced that thought out of my mind and replied

“Only when I really really want something” I smiled at Adrian, only to realise that this was me flirting with a guy while the man I was currently in love with was sitting opposite me, and the boy I was kinda sorta dating was sitting next to me. Ooops.

“You must leave many heartbroken men in your wake” Adrian looked at me in consideration and I suddenly felt my cheeks heating up, thinking about Dimitri. Calm it Rose.

“Only those that are worthy enough” As I said it, a sad smile appeared on Dimitri’s face, and I immediately regretted it.

**I'd gotten caught up in the excitement and the risk—much as I had in kissing**

I hesitated for half a second, only it was enough for Dimitri to realise what I was about to say, and have a slight look of panic before I changed the name.

**~~Dimitri~~ Jesse—not giving enough thought to the consequences because secretly, inside of me, that impulsive desire to be wild still lurked. Mason had it too, and his called to me.**

“Ugh why did you have to remind me of that” While I could tell he was happy about the connection I felt to him, Mason looked disgusted, and my mother angry.

**That mental Dimitri voice chastised me once more.**

**After Mason was safely returned to the lodge and had ice on his ankle, I carried our equipment back outside toward the storage buildings. When I went back inside, I went through a different doorway than I normally used. This entrance was set behind a huge, open porch with an ornate wooden railing. The porch was built into the side of the mountain and had a breathtaking view of the other peaks and valleys around us— if you felt like standing around long enough in freezing temperatures to admire it. Which most people didn't.**

**I walked up the steps to the porch, stomping snow off my boots as I did. A thick scent, both spicy and sweet, hung in the air. Something about it felt familiar, but before I could identify it, a voice suddenly spoke to me out of the shadows.**

**"Hey, little dhampir."**

“Yesssss” Adrian cheered, raising his drink (where the hell did he get that?!) “Now the party can really get started”. I rolled my eyes, as he smiled at me.

**Startled, I realized someone was indeed standing on the porch. A guy—a Moroi—leaned against the wall not far from the door. He brought a cigarette up to his mouth, took a long drag, and then dropped it to the floor. He stamped the butt out and crooked me a smile. That was the scent, I realized. Clove cigarettes.**

**Warily, I stopped and crossed my arms as I took him in. He was a little shorter than**

Again I hesitated, however this time, Adrian looked at me suspiciously

**~~Dimitri~~ Mason but wasn't as lanky as some Moroi guys ended up looking.**

“Nah I think they’re about the same height” Eddie spoke up. “But it’s nice to know you like my friend enough that you’re comparing handsome strangers to him” I avoided eye contact with Mason and Dimitri, and noticed Lissa smiling. She had always liked the thought of me and Mason.

**A long, charcoal coat—probably made out of some insanely expensive cashmere-wool blend—fit his body exceptionally well, and the leather dress shoes he wore indicated more money still. He had brown hair that looked like it had been purposely styled to appear a little unkempt, and his eyes were either blue or green—I didn't have quite enough light to know for sure. His face was cute, I supposed, and I pegged him to be a couple years older than me. He looked like he'd just come from a dinner party.**

**"Yeah?" I asked.**

**His eyes swept over my body. I was used to attention from Moroi guys. It just usually wasn't so obvious. And I usually wasn't bundled up in winter clothing and sporting a black eye.**

My mother at least looked guilty at the mention of my black eye.

**He shrugged. "Just saying hi, that's all."**

**I waited for more, but all he did was stuff his hands into the coat's pockets. With a shrug of my own, I took a couple steps forward.**

**"You smell good, you know," he suddenly said.**

“I agree with future me” Adrian said as Mason glared at him. Dimitri, like usual, didn’t respond, however I saw his shoulder tense a got a small bout of satisfaction out of it.

**I stopped walking again and gave him a puzzled look, which only made his sly smile grow a little bigger.**

**"I… um, what?"**

**"You smell good," he repeated.**

**"Are you joking? I've been sweating all day. I'm disgusting." I wanted to walk away, but there was something eerily compelling about this guy. Like a train wreck. I didn't find him attractive per se;**

“I disagree I find I am very attractive” Adrian smiled at me, and I felt Mason stiffen next to me.

**I was just suddenly interested in talking to him.**

Mason gave me a weird look, and I suddenly felt very guilty over future me’s actions.

**"Sweat isn't a bad thing," he said, leaning his head against the wall and looking upward thoughtfully. "Some of the best things in life happen while sweating. Yeah, if you get too much of it and it gets old and stale, it turns pretty gross. But on a beautiful woman? Intoxicating. If you could smell things like a vampire does, you'd know what I'm talking about. Most people mess it all up and drown themselves in perfume. Perfume can be good…especially if you get one that goes with your chemistry. But you only need a hint. Mix about 20 percent of that with 80 percent of your own perspiration…mmm." He tilted his head to the side and looked at me.**

“She does it very well” Adrian pointed towards Mia, who blushed. Funny, she had been very quiet, which was totally out of character, I almost forgot she was there.

Mia recovered however, and smiled back “You like? It’s Marc Jacobs”

“I love” Adrian replied.

**"Dead sexy."**

This time, I skipped the entire paragraph, rather than changing the names. Mason never wore aftershave.

~~**I suddenly remembered Dimitri and his aftershave. Yeah. That had been dead sexy, but I certainly wasn't going to tell this guy about it.** ~~

**"Well, thanks for the hygiene lesson," I said. "But I don't own any perfume, and I'm going to go shower all this hot sweaty action off me. Sorry."**

Many people snorted and I took a fake bow. The feeling of exasperation and love came through the bond from Lissa, and I moved closer to her because of it. I forget sometimes how much she calms me.

**He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered it to me. He moved only a step closer, but it was enough for me to smell something else on him. Alcohol. I shook my head at the cigarettes, and he tapped one out for himself.**

**"Bad habit," I said, watching him light it.**

**"One of many," he replied. He inhaled deeply. "You here with St. Vlad's?"**

**"Yup."**

**"So you're going to be a guardian when you grow up."**

**"Obviously."**

My mother and (surprisingly) Dimitri smiled at my certainty. Mason squeezed my hand

“Second best only to me”

“Hey!” Eddie said as I said “You wish”

“Sorry bro but it’s true” Eddie shrugged like he knew that, but still looked upset. Maybe Eddie was as scared of losing his best friend to me, as I had been of losing Lissa to Christian. I contemplated this as I noticed that Dimitri was no longer smiling. Good.

**He exhaled smoke, and I watched it drift away into the night. Heightened vampire senses or no, it was a wonder he could smell anything around those cloves.**

**"How long until you grow up?" he asked. "I might need a guardian."**

**"I graduate in the spring. But I'm already spoken for. Sorry."**

Lissa turned to me “You make it sound as if we’re married”

I laughed “That’s cause we technically we are. I’m gonna spend all my time with you. Ain’t nothing splitting us two up, not even a man” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri nod, however I didn’t see Mason look down at that slightly.

Christian, of course, had to go ruin it “Ugh, no way am I having you be near every second of every day” Lissa slapped him in the arm playfully.

**Surprise flickered in his eyes. "Yeah? Who is he?"**

**"She's Vasilisa Dragomir."**

**"Ah." His face split into a huge grin. "I knew you were trouble as soon as I saw you.**

“NOW IM LYING ON THE COLD HARD GROUND” I suddenly sang, and Mason, Eddie a Lissa all screamed “AHHH” as the adults all jumped from their seats. Even a few of the guardians reacted on instinct. It took about five minutes for Kirova to calm us from laughing so hard, and I noticed a few of the royals looked disgruntled. I wondered what the people watching outside the room where thinking.

Kirova had a massive go at us, however it was totally worth it to feel Lissa’s enjoyment coming through the bond. It was even better when I noticed Dimitri had a little smile, even if Tasha was laughing with us.

**You're Janine Hathaway's daughter."**

**"I'm Rose Hathaway," I corrected, not wanting to be defined by my mother.**

“You should, she’s very good at her job” Tasha told me, obviously completely missing my point. Ugh.

“Thank you” My mother smiled at her, as did Dimitri. Ugh.

“Yes thank you for commenting on a situation you clearly know nothing about” I snapped. Tasha looked slightly surprised, as did many others in the room. My mother told me to apologise, even Lissa was looking at me disappointed. But the only reaction I cared about was Dimitri’s. We made eye contact, and I could tell he was mad at me, and probably himself for ever thinking of me in a romantic way. That’s when I realised how immature I seemed to him. The realisation hit me, and I was angry at myself now, for giving Dimitri more reasons to leave with Tasha.

**"Nice to meet you, Rose Hathaway." He extended a gloved hand to me that I hesitantly took.**

**"Adrian Ivashkov."**

**"And you think I'm trouble,"**

“Don’t you dare” one of the Moroi students turned to me. But I knew he was one of the ones laughing when the guardians reacted so I know he didn’t mean it.

**I muttered. The Ivashkovs were a royal family, one of the wealthiest and most powerful. They were the kind of people who thought they could get anything they wanted and walked over those in their way. No wonder he was so arrogant.**

“Not arrogance when it’s true” Adrian stated as Mia piped up again

“You, Rose Hathaway are calling someone else arrogant?” she seemed to sneer the question, reminding me of Snape from Harry Potter.

“I am not arrogant” Many people snorted at that. Fuckers.

**He laughed. He had a nice laugh, rich and almost melodious. It made me think of warm caramel, dripping from a spoon. "Handy, huh? Each of our reputations precedes us."**

**I shook my head. "You don't know anything about me. And I only know of your family. I don't know anything about you."**

**"Want to?" he asked tauntingly.**

**"Sorry. I'm not into older guys."**

“Still don’t believe you little Dhampir” he said, as he glanced towards Dimitri. My eyes widened slightly, and I tried to ignore him staring at me.

**"I'm twenty-one. Not that much older."**

“Still older” My mum said angrily.

**"I have a boyfriend." It was a small lie. Mason certainly wasn't my boyfriend yet, but I hoped Adrian would leave me alone if he thought I was taken.**

“Yet” Mason whispered, but I still heard him.

**"Funny you didn't mention that right away," Adrian mused. "He didn't give you that black eye, did he?"**

**I felt myself blushing, even in the cold. I'd been hoping he wouldn't notice the eye, which was stupid. With his vampire eyes, he'd probably noticed as soon as I stepped onto the porch.**

**"He wouldn't be alive if he did.**

“So so true” Eddie nodded as he said “I once caught her really hard in the stomach and I swear to god I have never been beaten so badly in practice in all my life!” Mia meanwhile was touching her nose and wincing.

**I got it during … practice. I mean, I'm training to be a guardian. Our classes are always rough."**

**"That's pretty hot," he said. He dropped this second cigarette to the ground and put it out with his foot.**

**"Punching me in the eye?"**

Again, a lot of people laughed.

**"Well, no. Of course not. I meant that the idea of getting rough with you is hot. I'm a big fan of full-contact sports."**

**"I'm sure you are," I said dryly. He was arrogant and presumptuous, yet I still couldn't quite force myself to leave.**

“Like what you see?” Adrian asked as Mason shifted next to me. I didn’t really know how to reply, because yet again, I was hit by the sudden urge to get to know Adrian.

**The sound of footsteps behind me made me turn. Mia came around the path and walked up the steps. When she saw us, she stopped suddenly.**

**"Hey, Mia."**

**She glanced between the two of us.**

**"Another guy?" she asked. From her tone, you would have thought I had my own harem of men.**

“Well there are a lot of rumours”

“Lissa!” I couldn’t believe she had just said that!

“Sorry but it’s true. We did use to party a lot, and you did flirt with everyone. I mean the only person from Vladimirs you haven’t flirted with is probably Guardian Belikov” I hid my face at that, willing it not to blush.

“Yeah but that doesn’t mean you mention it” I suddenly got really angry at Lissa, how dare she! She was supposed to be my friend! The anger must have shown on my face because she flinched back. I suddenly felt guilty, so I sighed

“Make it up with Ice Cream later” I felt Lissa turn happier through the bond again.

**Adrian gave me a questioning, amused look. I gritted my teeth and decided not to dignify that with a response. I opted for uncharacteristic politeness.**

“This should be good” I heard someone whisper.

**"Mia, this is Adrian Ivashkov."**

**Adrian turned on the same charm he'd used on me. He shook her hand. "Always a pleasure to meet a friend of Rose's, especially a pretty one." He spoke like he and I had known each other since childhood.**

**"We aren't friends," I said. So much for politeness.**

“Lasted longer than I thought” Dimitri spoke up, surprising me and just about everyone else in the room.

“I can be polite” I said petulantly. Next to me Mason laughed.

“Only when you want something” Dimitri replied. Ivashkov looked between us, a contemplative look on his face.

**"Rose only hangs out with guys and psychopaths," said Mia. Her voice carried the usual scorn she harbored for me, but there was a look on her face that showed Adrian had clearly caught her interest.**

**"Well," he said cheerfully, "since I'm both a psychopath and a guy, that would explain why we're such good friends."**

**"You and I aren't friends either," I told him.**

Adrian laughed “Always playing hard to get”

**He laughed. "Always playing hard to get, huh?"**

Everyone laughed whilst Adrian just sipped his drink.

**"She's not that hard to get," said Mia, clearly upset that Adrian was paying more attention to me. "Just ask half the guys at our school."**

**"Yeah," I retorted, "and you can ask the other half about Mia. If you can do a favor for her, she'll do lots of favors for you."**

"Catfight!" Jesse cheered and I was suddenly hit by the urge to punch him in his face. As was Mason apparently, seeing as his hands were forming fists next to him.

"Chill" I said, takig his hand, Mason seemed to relax.

**When she'd declared war on Lissa and me, Mia had managed to get a couple of guys to tell everyone at school that I'd done some pretty awful things with them.**

**The ironic thing was that she'd gotten them to lie for her by sleeping with them herself.**

Mia seemed to look slightly embarrassed at this and I, again, rembered this was being shown to everyone in the resort. I felt a little guilty about this, however when I remembered everything she had done to Lissa, I stopped caring.

**A flicker of embarrassment passed over her face, but she held her ground.**

**"Well," she said, "at least I don't do them for free."**

**Adrian made some cat noises.**

**"Are you done?" I asked. "It's past your bedtime, and the grown-ups would like to talk now."**

**Mia's youthful looks were a sore point with her, one I frequently enjoyed exploiting.**

**"Sure," she said crisply. Her cheeks turned pink, intensifying her porcelain-doll appearance. "I have better things to do anyway." She turned toward the door, then paused with her hand resting on it. She glanced toward Adrian. "Her mom gave her that black eye, you know."**

My mother winced at this, and some of the Royals looked at her in shock. While I didn’t want everyone knowing about my mother punching me, it felt good knowing everyone in the Resort would know this. Meanwhile, the headmistress added another strike to her peice of paper, I wondered how much evidence we were up to now.

**She went inside. The fancy glass doors swung shut behind her.**

**Adrian and I stood there in silence. Finally, he took out the cigarettes again and lit another.**

**"Your mom?"**

**"Shut up."**

**"You're one of those people who either has soul mates or mortal enemies, aren't you? No in-between. You and Vasilisa are probably like sisters, huh?"**

**"I guess."**

**"How is she?"**

**"Huh? What do you mean?"**

**He shrugged, and if I didn't know better, I'd have said he was overdoing casualness. "I don't know. I mean, I know you guys ran away…and there was that stuff with her family and Victor Dashkov…."**

I winced as I felt the cold hatred build up in Lissa.

“It’s okay” I whispered as I hugged her. I didn’t know what it was but I felt the hatred shift in Lissa and suddenly she was okay. I however wasn’t.

“Why the fuck would you mention that” I hissed at Adrian. I knew it was completely irrational to have a go at someone for something they haven’t even said yet, but I needed to take my anger out on someone. Everyone else was shocked at my outburst yet again. They seemed to be a regular thing throughout thi.s Myabe I needed to hit somthing, or maybe someone, I thought, looking at Tasha. Adrian didn’t even look mad, just curiously between me and Lissa.

Kirova still made me apologise, I did so. But grudgingly.

**I stiffened at the reference to Victor. "So?"**

**"Dunno. Just figured it might be a lot for her to, you know, handle."**

**I studied him carefully, wondering what he was getting at. There had been a brief leak about Lissa's fragile mental health, but it had been well-contained. Most people had forgotten about it or assumed it was a lie.**

Many of the Moroi Royals looked at Lissa and began, yet again, talking among themselves. Lissa turned red from embarrasment, and Christian looked like he was going hit me. Goddamnit, all this time I had been trying to protect my secrets, when I should have been on the lookout for Lissa's as well. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

**"I've got to go." I decided avoidance was the best tactic just now.**

**"Are you sure?" He sounded only mildly disappointed. Mostly he seemed as cocky and amused as before. Something about him still intrigued me, but whatever it was, it wasn't enough to combat everything else I was feeling, or to risk discussing Lissa. "I thought it was time for the grown-ups to talk. Lots of grown-up things I'd like to talk about."**

**"It's late, I'm tired, and your cigarettes are giving me a headache," I growled.**

**"I suppose that's fair." He drew in on the cigarette and let out the smoke. "Some women think they make me look sexy."**

**"I think you smoke them so you have something to do while thinking up your next witty line."**

**He choked on the smoke, caught between inhaling and laughing. "Rose Hathaway, I can't wait to see you again. If you're this charming while tired and annoyed and this gorgeous while bruised and in ski clothes, you must be devastating at your peak."**

“Truer words have never been spoken” Adrian said looking at me. Mason looked like he wanted to agree, but couldn’t because he didn’t want to agree with the guy hitting on his (hopefully) soon to be girlfriend.

**"If by 'devastating' you mean that you should fear for your life, then yeah. You're right." I jerked open the door. "Good night, Adrian."**

**"I'll see you soon."**

**"Not likely. I told you, I'm not into older guys."**

“Sure you aren’t” Adrian said

**I walked into the lodge. As the door closed, I just barely heard him call behind me, "Sure, you aren't."**

“Oh thank god” I dropped the book on the floor and groaned. “What did any of that, apart from the skiing thing, have to do with life and death" Many people around me agreed.

“It’s the future chapters we need to worry about. This was just a look into your mind and a way to show us the information about the future would be true. The letter said it would skip certain parts or entire chapters if they weren’t that relevant”

I nodded, hoping the non relevant parts would be about me and Dimitri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update might take a while, I started this one the other day and it was only half a chapter, the other chapter are much longer than this.


	3. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god Vampire Academy has such long chapters, like this took waaay to long to do and its not even the complete chapter. Sorry!

“Okay next chapter” my mum ordered the room, and as Kirova made a play for the book, I swiped it.

“Can I read just one more chapter, please?” I asked in my politest voice. Everyone, even those that only knew me from the pages of a book, looked at me weirdly. Clearly, they had figured something was up. My mother examined me for a while, and noded slightly.

“Fine, but next time, someone else reads. And if I find out you are hiding something…” She let the threat open ended, as if to scare me or something.

I snorted “What you’ll give me another black eye?” I asked with far more confidence than I had. People around either gasped or began to whisper to each other again. The guardians shifted. It was a low blow, I know, but I knew it would get my mother off my back for a little while.

Sighing, I opened the book.

“Oh hey I think we’re skipping some, there’s a bunch of blank pages here” I told the room, a lot of people seemed interested, I was just relieved.

**I WAS OUT OF BED in a flash.**

Mason and Eddie Wiggled their eyebrows at me and

**We found the entire lodge abuzz with the news. People clustered in small groups in the halls. Family members sought each other out.**

The room exploded into murmurs and whispers. Something bad must have happened, for people to be reacting like this.

**Some conversations were conducted in terrified whispers;**

“Oh no!” Lissa brought her hands up to her mouth. “What’s happened” the room was asking the same thing.

**some were loud and easy to overhear. I stopped a few people, trying to get the story straight. Everyone had a different version of what had happened, though, and some wouldn't even pause to talk. They hurried past, either seeking out loved ones or preparing to leave the resort, convinced there might be a safer place elsewhere.**

“A strigoi attack” one of my classmates asked.

“But at the lodge? It doesn’t make any sense!” I replied We were so heavily guarded it seemed practically impossible that we would be attacked.

**Frustrated with the differing stories, I finally—reluctantly—knew I had to seek out one of the two sources who would give me solid information. My mother or Dimitri. It was like flipping a coin. I wasn't really thrilled with either one of them right now.**

“Ohhh what did Dimitri do?” Mason asked me in a whisper (half the room still heard).

“He knows” Was all I said, and Mason backed off.

“His funeral.” Eddie chirped up, I would not want to be on the bad side of Rose Hathaway” Many nodded. I smirked.

**I debated momentarily and finally decided on my mother, ~~seeing as how she wasn't getting it on with Tasha Ozera.~~**

I was really starting to get a hang of cutting things out of this book, this time I didn’t even hesitate.

**The door to my mother's room was ajar, and as Lissa and I entered, I saw that a sort of makeshift headquarters had been established here. Lots of guardians were milling around, moving in and out, and discussing strategy.**

“Definitely an attack” My mother muttered, more to herself than anyone in particular.

“Yeah but where?” one of the guardians asked. The worry on his face was clear, and or a moment I forgot that guardians were extremely close to their Moroi.

**A few gave us odd looks, but no one stopped or questioned us. Lissa and I slid onto a small sofa to listen to a conversation my mother was having.**

**She stood with a group of guardians, one of whom was Dimitri. So much for avoiding him. His brown eyes glanced at me briefly and I averted my gaze. I didn't want to deal with my troubled feelingsanger for him right now.**

“Someones in troooouble” Eddie sang, Mason laughing along with him.

“Boys, now is not the time” Kirova chastised.

**Lissa and I soon discerned the details. Eight Moroi had been killed along with their five guardians.**

The room gasped, and for the first time I heard a loud exclamation coming from outside the room. I forgot they were there. An important looking person in a suit walked in, whispering to my mother and taking notes; probably to inform the higher ups of the furture attack and try to prevent it.

**Three Moroi were missing, either dead or turned Strigoi. The attack hadn't really happened near here; it had been somewhere in northern California.**

My mother and a few more guardians began muttering. I heard Mia gasp, but didn’t have time to think about her right now.

**Nonetheless, a tragedy like this couldn't help but reverberate within the Moroi world, and for some, two states away was far too close. People were terrified, and I soon learned what in particular made this attack so notable.**

**"There had to be more than last time," said my mother.**

“More strigoi?” I asked. My mother noded, and there were gasps throughout. The idea was terrifying to all of us, how could Strigoi organise like that.

**"More?" exclaimed one of the other guardians. "That last group was unheard of. I still can't believe nine Strigoi managed to work together—you expect me to believe they managed to get more organized still?"**

**"Yes," snapped my mother.**

The room was tense, if Janine Hathaway was losing her temper, it was bad news.

**"Any evidence of humans?" someone else asked.**

**My mother hesitated, then: "Yes. More broken wards. And the way it was all conducted…it's identical to the Badica attack."**

I felt a chill go down my spine. The Badica attack had been horrifying, the bloody scene we had found still haunted me. Instinctively I went for Lissa’s hand, that little bit of comfort helped me read on

**Her voice was hard, but there was a kind of weariness in it, too. It wasn't physical exhaustion, though. It was mental, I realized. Strain and hurt over what they were talking about. I always thought of my mother as some sort of unfeeling killing machine, but this was clearly hard for her. It was a hard, ugly matter to discuss—but at the same time, she was tackling it without hesitation. It was her duty.**

Many of the guardians nodded, whilst looking down, silent for those that we may have lost without this book. Could still lose.

**A lump formed in my throat that I quickly swallowed down. Humans. Identical to the Badica attack. Ever since that massacre, we'd extensively analyzed the oddity of such a large group of Strigoi teaming up and recruiting humans. We'd spoken in vague terms about "if something like this ever happens again …" But no one had seriously talked about this group—the Badica killers—doing it again. One time was a fluke—maybe a bunch of Strigoi had happened to gather and impulsively decided to go on a raid. It was horrible, but we could write that off.**

“This is an organised attack against us. Against our royal families” My mother stated and, if possible, the room got even more cold an intense. If the strigoi could come together to form an organised attack….A shiver went through my back again. I reached out to Lissa through the link this time. I felt a sadness in her, followed by a lot of fury and anger. I comforted her though the link, the best way I knew how. I squeezed her hand as I felt it drain away. Lissa smiled at me.

I turned to the room as they continued discussing the attacks, Adrian was looking at me weirdly again. What was his problem, seriously?

“Take a picture it will last longer” I told him, and he laughed, but there was an edge to it I had never heard before.

**But now…now it looked as though that group of Strigoi hadn't been a random occurrence.**

**They'd united with purpose, utilized humans strategically, and had attacked again. We now had what could be a pattern:**

**Strigoi actively seeking out large groups of prey. Serial killings. We could no longer trust the protective magic of the wards. We couldn't even trust sunlight.**

The door to the room kept opening and closing as people walked in and out, obviously attempting to create a strategy for when they could go save this family. This book had given us one advantage in there was a chance that this was days until the attack. But we didn’t know the exact date, all the guardians could do was prepare for the worst.

**Humans could move around in the day, scouting and sabotaging. The light was no longer safe.**

A couple of the royals tensed up and I could tell the Dhampirs from my class looked frightened, even Christian seemed to show a little fear.

**I remembered what I'd said to Dimitri at the Badica house:This changes everything, doesn't it?**

“Yes Rose, it does” I had almost forgotten Dimitri was there, talking with the other Guardians, he looked in the zone. I had thought he wasn’t listening, but clearly he was. We caught each others eye. I felt calmer for a second, as it was as though he was comforting me.

**My mother flipped through some papers on a clipboard. "They don't have forensic details yet, but the same number of Strigoi couldn't have done this. None of the Drozdovs or their staff escaped.**

Mia whimpered “No!” She began to cry, something I had never imagined I’d see her do. At a loss, me and my classmates all looked around, until Kirova approached Mia. She took her out of the room, soothing her as she went. It’s the nicest I have ever seen Kirova be, and then it hit me.

“Mias mother is on their staff” I told Lissa, shocked.

“Oh no” was all Lissa could say as a tear fell down her cheek. We sat there in stilence, until a Royal cleared his throat

“I’m sorry, but we need to continue if we ever have a hope of stopping this” he stated. I nodded.

**With five guardians, seven Strigoi would have been preoccupied—at least temporarily—for some to escape. We're looking at nine or ten, maybe."**

“Damn” Mason said next to me, shock evident in his voice

“Damn” I repeated as a reply.

**"Janine's right," said Dimitri. "And if you look at the venue…it's too big. Seven couldn't have covered it."**

**The Drozdovs were one of the twelve royal families. They were large and prosperous, not like Lissa's dying clan.**

Lissa sighed next to me

“Sorry” I whispered

“Rose it’s not your fault, you cannot control your thoughts. It’s not like you thought they would be read out to, well, everyone” She smiled at me, and for just one second, everything was okay.

**They had plenty of family members to go around, but obviously, an attack like this was still horrible. Furthermore, something about them tickled my brain. There was something I should remember … something I should know about the Drozdovs.**

**While part of my mind puzzled that out, I watched my mother with fascination. I'd listened to her tell her stories. I'd seen and felt her fight. But really, truly, I'd never seen her in action in a real-life crisis. She showed every bit of that hard control she did around me, but here, I could see how necessary it was. A situation like this created panic. Even among the guardians, I could sense those who were so keyed up that they wanted to do something drastic. My mother was a voice of reason, a reminder that they had to stay focused and fully assess the situation. Her composure calmed everybody; her strong manner inspired them.**

“This is why she’s the best” one guardian spoke up as my mother continued to discuss what to do. I saw her smile though, so she must have been listening.

**This, I realized, was how a leader behaved.**

“I would be a terrible leader then” I joked to the room.

Only Adrian replied “I don’t think so” however he didn’t elaborate so I let it go

**Dimitri was just as collected as she was, but he deferred to her to run things. I had to remind myself sometimes that he was young as far as guardians went. They discussed the attack more, how the Drozdovs had been having a belated Christmas party in a banquet hall when they were attacked.**

**"First Badicas, now Drozdovs," muttered one guardian. "They're going after royals."**

There was an uproar, in both inside and outside, of the room. It had been thought by everyone but not spoken out loud, everyone too afraid to face the truth. People like Jesse and Aaron began talking loudly, whilst guardians tried to keep the peace. The only person who hadn’t reacted, I realised, was Adrian. Who sat quietly, sipping a drink. When it seemed like there was no hope of quieting the royals, Tasha Ozera whistled.

“While I know this must be a tricky time for all of you, we must stay peaceful and finish off this book. It has been sent back for a reason. For now we need to focus on keeping to Drosdovs alive, and hopefully, this book will tell us how to stop this group of Strigoi” She nodded at me, and I began again.

**"They're going after Moroi," said Dimitri flatly. "Royal. Non-royal. It doesn't matter."**

**Royal. Non-royal. I suddenly knew why the Drozdovs were important. My spontaneous instincts wanted me to jump up and ask a question right now, but I knew better. This was the real deal. This was no time for irrational behavior. I wanted to be as strong as my mother and Dimitri, so I waited for the discussion to end.**

“Didn’t now you had so much tact” Mason teased, obviously trying to distract some of us in the room. It didn’t really work, but I rolled with it

“Only when I need it, Mase” We both smiled.

**When the group started to break up, I leapt up off the sofa and pushed my way toward my mother.**

**"Rose," she said, surprised. Like in Stan's class, she hadn't noticed me in the room. "What are you doing here?"**

**It was such a stupid question, I didn't try to answer it. What did she think I was doing here?**

**This was one of the biggest things to happen to the Moroi.**

**I pointed to her clipboard. "Who else was killed?"**

**Irritation wrinkled her forehead. "Drozdovs."**

**"But who else?"**

**"Rose, we don't have time—"**

**"They had staff, right? Dimitri said non-royals. Who were they?"**

**Again, I saw the weariness in her. She took these deaths hard. "I don't know all the names."**

**Flipping through a few pages, she turned the clipboard toward me. "There."**

**I scanned the list. My heart sank.**

“Poor Mia” Lissa muttered. I nodded. This was the first confirmation that her mother had actually been killed. Even if I hadn’t said it, the entire room knew. And no only that, it was confirmation that these Strigoi were going to kill living, breathing humans, some of which we knew. The tension worsened again.

**"Okay," I told her. "Thanks."**

**Lissa and I left them to go about their business. I wished I could have helped, but the guardians ran smoothly and efficiently on their own; they had no need for novices underfoot.**

**"What was that about?" asked Lissa, once we were heading back to the main part of the lodge.**

**"The Drozdovs' staff," I said. "Mia's mom worked for them…."**

**Lissa gasped. "And?"**

**I sighed. "And her name was on the list."**

I felt Lissa begin to cry next to me, and comforted her through the bond as Christian hugged her.

**"Oh God." Lissa stopped walking. She stared off into space, blinking back tears. "Oh God," she repeated.**

**I moved in front of her and placed my hands on her shoulders. She was shaking.**

**"It's okay," I said. Her fear came to me in waves, but it was a numbed fear. Shock. "This is going to be okay."**

**"You heard them," she said. "There's a band of Strigoi organizing and attacking us! How many? Are they coming here?"**

“No way!” a lot of people screamed at once. This place wa too well protected, wasn’t it? We looked to the guardians for a reply.

“Not now. For now we are safe. But if this group of Strigoi don’t get stopped, they could get bigger, gain more control, more human support. And then, well then not even St. Vladimirs would be safe” My mother told things straight.. There was no need to beat around the bush, not when lives were at stake, and for the first time, I saw pure fear on a lot of my classmates faces. Good. This is what we needed. Fear was the only thing that would stop us from doing stupid things.

**"No," I said firmly. I had no evidence of that, of course. "We're safe here."**

**"Poor Mia …"**

**There was nothing I could say to that. I thought Mia was an absolute bitch, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy—which, technically, she was. Immediately, I corrected that thought. Mia wasn't my worst enemy.**

“The only enemy is Strigoi” Mia stated as she walked back into the room, eyes red and hair messed up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So should I do the rest of the chapter or skip again? I have the rest of the chapter prepared and it's kinda important but it's also really long and dragged out? I have a problem were I baically written the reactions to the last 3 chapters but not the ones before but I need them for context? ugh. Anyway sorry about how long it took to update, I have two months of exams coming up but then I'm taking a gap year!!!


End file.
